by Amber Crewes
Meghan pushed the cart past a bin of fresh heads of lettuce and smiled, excited to have some relaxing time with Jack after the encounter with Wendy. It had been a stressful morning, but now, she felt as though her day was back on track.
“Hey, Meghan!”
Meghan turned around and found Jamie, the town handyman, waving at her. “Hey,” Meghan replied, walking over to talk with him. “How’s it going?”
Jamie shrugged. “It’s okay,” he told her.
“Busy day?” she asked.
He nodded. “I’m doing a little grocery shopping before going back to look at that pipe in your bakery,” he explained. “Speaking of that, I needed to give you a little call about something that happened last night.”
“What do you mean?”
Jamie’s rugged face darkened. “I was working after-hours last night on that pipe in the kitchen,” he told her. “Some kids were outside the bakery making a ruckus. I didn’t say anything until I heard them try to open the back door.”
“They tried to break in?”
“They did,” he confirmed. “Some girl was giving directions on picking locks to a group of teenagers. I yelled at them and told them to get away from the bakery, but they sassed me for a bit before they left.”
“Who was the girl?” she asked, her stomach sinking.
“I don’t know,” Jamie admitted. “But she threatened to punch me in the face. I almost got in a fight with her.”
Meghan shook her head. “You don’t want to get into any trouble with the law, Jamie,” she told him. I’m glad you didn’t fight.”
Jamie shrugged. “I want to keep my nose clean,” he agreed. “They finally left, so I just went back to my work. I’m sorry I forgot to tell you about it.”
“It’s not a big deal,” she assured him. “Next time, just let me know.”
Jamie pointed across the grocery store. “Hey, see that girl over there? She looks like the girl who was giving orders last night! I think that’s her.”
Meghan followed Jamie’s gaze and gasped. “That’s Pamela,” she said. “My employee. She works for me, Jamie. She’s reliable and such a good girl. There’s no way she had anything to do with it.”
Pamela caught Meghan’s eye and walked over. “Hey! What’s up?”
Meghan smiled, but then, she felt confusion at seeing Pamela in the grocery store. “I’m just doing some shopping with Jack,” she told Pamela. “What are you doing here? Aren’t you scheduled to be at the bakery right now?”
Pamela’s eyes widened. “Umm…. I took a little break for lunch. I’ve only been gone a few minutes.”
Just then, Roberto rounded the corner. “Pamela, let’s go! I just checked my watch, and we’ve been here for a whole hour.”
Meghan frowned. “Pamela? Is this true? You’re only supposed to take twenty-five minutes for lunch. What are you doing here?”
Pamela’s face flushed. “Ermm….Roberto and I just….we had an errand for the bakery.”
“An errand? What errand?”
“We needed more...dental floss,” Pamela stammered. “Oh! Look at the time. My break is over. Gotta run. Bye, Meghan!”
Pamela grabbed Roberto by the hand and dragged him away. “She’s reliable, huh?” Jamie asked. “That didn’t look like a reliable employee to me.”
Meghan scowled. “I can’t believe she just lied to me,” she complained as she watched Pamela and Roberto dart out of the grocery store. “This is not like her. I think that boyfriend of hers has been such a bad influence.”
Jamie nodded. “Do you think he encouraged her to break into the bakery?”
Meghan bit her lip. “I don’t think so,” she told him. “I don’t think she had anything to do with it,” she insisted. “That just wouldn’t be like her...or would it?”
10
T he wind howled eerily as Meghan and her dogs meandered down the beach, but despite the chilly air and cloudy skies, she felt relieved to be away from town and alone with her furry friends. There had been so many highs and lows in her life in Sandy Bay, but through everything, Meghan never had to question the loyalty of her two little dogs. Fiesta and Siesta loved her unconditionally, and in a town where opinions changed faster than the seasons, it was nice to have some time with the creatures who loved her best.
“Siesta, come on,” Meghan ordered as she walked her two little dogs along the shoreline. “You’re going to get washed away by the water if you don’t hurry up!”
Siesta barked at Meghan, but Meghan tugged harder on the dog’s red sparkly leash. She thought that a long stroll on the beach would help her relax, but her dogs were behaving so poorly that Meghan wished she had left them at home.
“This is not the mellow walk I wanted,” she griped to herself as Fiesta’s leash became tangled with Siesta’s. “Both of you need to calm down!”
Meghan tugged harder on both leashes, and her dogs sprang to attention. “That’s better,” she praised, as the dogs calmed down. “Good dogs!”
The trio continued to walk along the beach. Meghan enjoyed the feeling of the thick, dark sand between her toes. She glanced down at her feet and grimaced at her mangled pedicure. “I might have to make an appointment at Jackie’s salon soon,” she said to herself as she surveyed the chipped toenail polish she had been wearing since March. “These toes need some loving!”
A wave crept up the shoreline and crashed as the dogs scurried away. Meghan laughed; her dogs loved visiting the beach, and they would surely be tired out later. She whistled at them, and as they looked her way, she noticed a couple walking toward them.
“Hey there!” Meghan called out, waving at the couple. In Sandy Bay, everyone greeted everyone, and she loved the friendliness of small town life.
As the couple drew closer, Meghan could see it was Jess and Norman Shephard, a young couple who lived around the corner from her. They were regulars at the bakery; the pair usually spent their Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday afternoons drinking tea and playing board games at Truly Sweet. Now, as Meghan saw their faces, she realized they hadn’t been in for a few days.
“How’s it going?” she asked as Jess and Norman slowed their pace. “I haven’t seen you two around. Everything okay?”
The couple looked at each other, and then stared at the ground. “We’ve been…” Norman began.
“Busy,” Jess finished. “Very busy.”
“Oh,” Meghan replied, registering the nervous looks on their faces. “Too busy to come for your tea and board games? That’s a shame.”
Norman looked down at his wrist. “Oh! Look at the time,” he said to Jess. “We have a dentist appointment in twenty minutes. We’d best be going.”
“Yes,” Jess agreed. “We have that... dentist appointment. Bye, Meghan. Great seeing you.”
Meghan raised an eyebrow as the couple walked away. She noticed that Norman was not even wearing a watch, and it was nearly nine at night. Surely the dentist office was closed. “That was odd,” she murmured as Jess and Norman took off running away. “They were acting so strangely.”
Meghan and the dogs kept strolling, perplexed by Norman and Jess’ odd behavior. When she passed another neighbor, Ryan Heebner, jogging with his dog, Dixie, she waved him down.
“Ryan!” Meghan called out. “Hey! How’s it going?”
Ryan came to a halt. His bright blue eyes were wide, and Meghan noticed he looked scared.
“What’s wrong?” she asked. “I didn’t mean to ruin your run. I just wanted to say hi. My dogs love your sweet Dixie, and I’m sure they would like to say hello, too.”
Ryan took a deep breath. “Sorry, Meghan,” he said. “I can’t talk long. Dixie and I have something to do.”
“What?” Meghan asked. “What do you mean? It’s a quiet evening on the beach. Why is everyone acting so weird today?”
Ryan ran a hand through his light brown hair. “Your desserts killed someone,” he muttered as Meghan’s mouth dropped open in horror.
“Excuse me?” she re
plied angrily. “What did you just say to me?”
“I’m sorry, Meghan,” he said, his eyes darting around as though he were making sure no one saw him speaking with her. “But the news is all over town.”
“What news?” she pressed as Evan, Ryan’s brother, ran over and joined them.
“Your pace is a little too fast tonight, bro,” Evan lectured Ryan before seeing Meghan. “Oh,” he said as he looked into her eyes. “Meghan, hey…”
“Hi, Evan,” she said. “I was just being told by your brother that my desserts kill people and that the news is all over town.”
Evan’s chiseled face grew pale, and he turned to face his brother. He gave Ryan a whack on his shoulder. “Dude, come on! She only kills people who have nut allergies.”
Ryan shuddered. “I’m allergic to everything,” he told his brother. “Who knows what else she puts in her treats.”
Evan rolled his eyes. “You aren’t allergic to nuts, although you’re acting like a nut, Ry!”
Ryan shook his head. “The cashier at the market told me that some traveling clown died after eating one of Meghan’s desserts that had nuts in it.”
Meghan knotted her hands into fists. “That is not true,” she declared to the two brothers. “That clown refused to eat my treats!”
“Then how did he die?” Ryan inquired, his blonde eyebrows traveling up his forehead. “Is the cashier lying?”
“The cashier appears to be misinformed,” Meghan stated. “My desserts were present in the house where Lucky died, but I have been told that there is no way that he could have died from being in the same house as them.”
“Who told you that?” Evan asked.
Meghan bit her tongue. She knew that she could not reveal Jack as her source of information; she did not want to jeopardize his position as a detective. “I can’t say,” she admitted as she looked down at her bare feet. “But I know that there is no way my banana nut bread killed him.”
“Sure, Meghan,” Evan said with a strained smile. “Whatever you say. Ry? Let’s continue our run. Meghan, we’ll see you around.”
Evan waved goodbye as he took off running, and Ryan followed behind him, Dixie trotting happily at his feet.
Meghan’s stomach churned. She remembered nearly a year ago when she first arrived in Sandy Bay and had been accused of her desserts killing someone. The entire town believed the rumors, and Meghan had worked tirelessly to set the record straight and restore her reputation. It had been a stressful, exhausting experience, and now, despite her connections in town and significant successes at the bakery, she could not believe that she was back in the same situation.
Meghan sighed. She was tired and dirty from her long walk on the beach, and as the sun set in the distance, she knew it was time to go home. She whistled for the dogs and put her shoes back on her feet. As she headed toward the parking lot, she felt a tap on her shoulder.
“Ahhhh!” Meghan screamed as she nearly jumped out of her skin. She turned to see Jack smiling at her. “Jack! Why didn’t you call out to me? You nearly scared me half to death!”
Jack stifled a laugh. “I am so sorry, honey,” he apologized. “I thought you heard me walking up. I’m wearing my work boots, and I always feel like my footsteps are so loud when I have these bad boys on my feet.”
“The sand must have muffled the sound,” Meghan suggested as she placed a hand on her racing heart. “You scared me, babe. I thought you were Wendy coming to finish me off.”
“Nope,” he shook his head. “I was heading back to the office. I saw your car in the parking lot and wanted to say hello. I tried calling your cell phone, but I couldn’t get a hold of you.”
“I left my phone in the car,” she told him. “I needed some peace and quiet.”
“I get it,” he said. “Well, apparently I didn’t help with the peace and quiet part. I’m sorry again for scaring you, Sweetie. How are you doing?”
Meghan sighed. “Not so great,” she informed him as her shoulders slumped. “During my walk, I ran into Jess and Norman, as well as Ryan and Evan,” she said. “From our conversations, it’s abundantly clear that word has gotten around town that I killed Lucky! You should have seen the look on my face when Ryan accused me of killing that clown.”
Jack’s blue eyes narrowed. “That Ryan Heebner is a loser,” he told his girlfriend as he wrapped an arm around her. “He’s a mama’s boy who can hardly leave home without having a panic attack. Don’t listen to him, babe.”
“But his brother, Evan, said the same things,” she insisted. “And Jess and Norman were acting so weird. I think word got out, and now, everyone thinks that I had something to do with Lucky dropping dead at the funeral home.”
Jack furrowed his brow and kissed Meghan’s forehead. “This is a tricky situation,” he said as Meghan leaned into his embrace. “But babe, you have to trust me. The coroner’s report will surely clear your name. I have no doubt of it.”
Meghan wriggled out of Jack’s arms. “You don’t understand,” she insisted as Jack looked into her dark eyes. “Jack, everyone in town thinks my treats killed a man. I can’t just wait for the coroner's report to come out. That could take weeks, or even months! My reputation and future in Sandy Bay are on the line now.”
Jack shrugged. “Well, what are you going to do?”
Meghan placed her hands on her hips. “I am going to get to the bottom of this nightmare,” she declared. “One way or another, I am going to find out just how Lucky died, even if it kills me.”
11
T he next evening, Meghan arrived at Jackie’s salon for a pedicure. She had not had a single customer all day at Truly Sweet, and she had sent Pamela home early. Knowing that she needed to perk herself up, she scheduled the appointment with Jackie.
“Hey, you!” Jackie greeted Meghan as she walked through the front doors. “I’m so glad you came in tonight. I’m keeping the salon open an extra hour tonight to take care of you. It sounds like you have had a terrible week.”
Meghan smiled weakly, barely registering that Jackie had dyed her hair a pale shade of lavender. “Thanks for squeezing me in.”
“Anything for you, my friend,” Jackie assured her as she helped Meghan remove her shoes and settle into a thick, purple leather chair. “What can I do for you? Pedi? Pedi with diamonds? Pedi with sparkles?”
“Just a regular pink pedicure,” she told her kindly. “My usual.”
“Oh, come on, Meghan,” she pleaded. “Live on the wild side.”
“I am sick of the wild side after this week,” Meghan said sadly as she gazed down at her scraggly toes. “Maybe picking a quiet, boring color will help to give me my quiet, boring life back.”
Jackie gave her a sad look. “Don’t think like that,” she said as Meghan nestled back in the chair. “The report in the Sandy Bay Gazette wasn’t so bad. They didn’t come right out and say you did it, Meghan.”
“The story is in the newspaper?” Meghan shrieked as Jackie steadied her toes. “How did the word get out? I don’t understand.”
Jackie shrugged. “It’s a small town, Meghan,” she explained as she dabbed Meghan’s toes with oil. “People talk. You know that.”
Meghan frowned. “What can I do?”
Jackie leaned forward and began scraping Meghan’s cuticles. “There isn’t much you can do,” she told her friend. “In these situations, all you can do is wait. Wait for the police to investigate, and if you’re telling the truth, the truth will inevitably come out.”
“IF I’m telling the truth?” she exclaimed. “Jackie! You know I would never hurt anyone.”
Jackie laughed. “You know what I meant, you silly goose. Meghan, the truth will come out regardless of the people, places, and things involved in the situation. You just have to be patient.”
“I can’t,” she whispered. “Everything I’ve ever worked for is on the line here, Jackie. My business has been thriving, and now, I can barely get anyone through the front door. Even if they clear my name, this en
tire incident is horrible publicity. Perception is everything in the business world. You know that.”
Jackie nodded. “I do know that,” she agreed as she filed down Meghan’s toenails. “As a business owner, I totally get that the public’s perception of your business matters. But, I also know that the truth matters. Facts matter. The people of Sandy Bay are kind and good-hearted, Meghan. When the truth comes out, I know that they will stand by you. You just have to be patient. You have to trust the police’s investigation. You have to trust that the people of Sandy Bay will rally around you when they know the truth.”
Meghan hung her head. “Why can’t they rally around me now?” she asked weakly as she stared out of the window.